Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm currently backflushing my pipes with mains water once a week, and you should see the sediment!

Ah well i suppose when you get as old as you and LKB.....................

Quick off the draw there Axl

The main build up I have found in my pipes is biofilm - which unfortunatelly does not come out merely by backflushing.

Yep, a nice refreshing weekly enema has kept me in top shape. When 83 years you are, look as good you will not. Biofilm is going to be a problem I spose. I guess I could backflush with vinegar or something.

Na - just thread a brush through.

VB......I'm confused. Are we talking about putting the brush through the pipes.......or njh......or both.

Yep - whatever works


c'mon - there's a difference between valued contributor and almost divorced
(did have mature and geriatric but thought it might be taken the wrong way )

You tell èm master YODA

Today, we had rain in the Western suburbs of Brisbane (not as frequently an occurrence as we'd like these days) and it revealed a prospective issue for operators of aquaponic systems.

If it rains long enough (and/or hard enough) your growing system can capture enough rain to overflow your fish tank.

While this is likely to be more of an issue for small systems it can affect any size system if the rain is heavy enough.....and it's likely to be even more of a problem if your tank is inside.

I'm fortunate in that it was raining when I woke up, and I had the opportunity to see my tank level rising before I went to work. I bypassed the outflow from the fish tank and disconnected the return line to the tank so that the rainwater flushed my growing systems without causing the fish tank to overflow.

I can recall from my seven month sojourn in Townsville (and several visits to Cairns) that when the heavens open up, there is often nowhere to easily put all of that water....and, under such circumstances, an aquaponic system would fill up very quickly indeed.

Anyone else had the same experience?

Haven't had enough rain to date to overflow the system. Will be more likely when I hae a greater grow-bed surface area. The issue is easilly overcome by having an overflow pipe on the tank that is fed by the grow-beds. How many mls did you get Garry - I haven't checked the guage yet, but we had had 25mm when I got up this morning.

nOT AS BAD AS YOURS GD...
But my system has remained at 2200L for the past 2 weeks or so with the night time rain we have been having....
I have planned to incorporate a rap and hose into my plumbing so that when the wet does settle in I should be able to drain off and use the excess water...

we've put a roof over most of the system, but we have yet to put the gutter on. As it goes now, any rain flows off the roof and straight into the tank. Have to fix that soon

Good point Gary/Garry, I have been watching the level rise in the new fish tank and had the buckets ready but weren't needed this time - has brought forward the purchase of some plastic film for the greenhouse cover.

Question - what is it:
Gary (as in Gary Donaldson) or
Garry (as in Garry's system )

I guess you all know this , but one of the few rules governing our Aquaponic activities in Qld, is that the fish tank MUST be covered with a roof of some kind. The logic behind it is that if there is a downpour and the system overflows it may allow non local species to get into the local waterways.
It is one of a very few Gov rules that actually makes some sense
Muzza